Buenos Aires – Information Office – 20 March

Qatar participated in the opening session of the second United Nations High-Level Conference on South-South Cooperation, which began its work in Buenos Aires today, and continues until March 22.

The delegation of the State of Qatar was led by HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi.

In a statement in the opening session of the conference, His Excellency stressed that the agenda of South-South cooperation is a fundamental pillar of the country's foreign policy, pointing to Qatar's keenness on Doha becoming a platform for the Group and the United Nations to enhance international cooperation and face the threats to international peace and security and respect for the rule of law and achieve development.

HE the minister said that they are meeting today in the same place after 40 years when the Buenos Aires Plan of Action was adopted to promote and implement technical cooperation among developing countries.

HE the minister added that they meet to renew their commitment to continue the South-South cooperation, which is of exceptional importance in the face of the increasing challenges facing the world, which require further cooperation and coordination for the development and prosperity of our peoples and the world.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs noted that in view of the various changes in the international economic system and the increasing challenges of creating an international environment to ensure the global economic recovery and its impact on the countries of the South, there is an urgent need for comprehensive review and adoption of clear positions that will ensure common interests as a group, maintaining Qatar's positive contributions to international community, especially in the United Nations and assessing progress and move forward to enhance and strengthen investment in our cooperation to overcome the challenges facing the countries of the South, implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan, and develop a common vision for the future.

His Excellency stressed that, based on the belief of the State of Qatar in multilateral action and its realization that the potential of the South countries to play an active and leading role in the international arena, South-South cooperation is a vital and important issue for our countries, it requires further cooperation, expertise sharing and exchange of experiences among the Group.

HE the minister said that Qatar continued to provide development and humanitarian assistance in the framework of the Group and at the international level, recalling the hosting of Second South Summit by the State of Qatar in 2005 and its previous chairmanship of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation, which culminated in 2009 by the organization of the High-level United Nations Conference in Cooperation with the South on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the launching of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action.

HE the minister noted that the State of Qatar was honored to facilitate its convening and chairmanship in Nairobi, which resulted in the Nairobi Declaration on South-South Cooperation.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs termed Qatar's hosting of the first Arab Regional Forum for South-South Development in 2014 as an affirmation of its commitment to promoting South-South cooperation and safeguarding its common interests. He said that, due to the close links between the efforts of the countries of the South and global development efforts, and in line with Qatar's commitments as an active member of the international community, Doha hosted in 2008 the international follow-up conference on financing for development to review the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus.

He said that the challenges facing the countries of the South are of great importance and this makes cooperation among them very important. He said that breaking away from the shared principles of the Group and the international community enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and international law, namely the commitment to the principles of developing friendly relations among nations, respect for national sovereignty and noninterference in internal affairs, exacerbates the existing challenges of the countries of the South and distracts them from working to achieve the goals we are working on as a group.

Al Muraikhi expressed regret that some States have ignored these principles and adopted policies against member States in our Group in order to achieve illegitimate objectives under false pretexts that are contrary to the objectives and purposes of the United Nations and international law, and before that they violate the principles for which the countries of the South are trying to achieve. He reiterated the need to commit to the principles of South-South collective action, fulfil international obligations and abandon any actions or policies that would harm other States under pretexts prohibited by the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

His Excellency added that Qatar's vision on the importance of collective action, cooperation at the group level and multilateral relations stems from its conviction that we face the same challenges and share the same destiny. Given the active role played by South-South cooperation and trilateral cooperation in international development cooperation and in implementing the Sustainable Development Plan of 2030, and out of our belief that the United Nations is an international umbrella for all groups and nations, and our belief in the shared burden and responsibilities of Member States, the State of Qatar has recently pledged a multi-year support for core resources to the financing of the United Nations organizations with US$ 500 million, part of which is directed to the Qatari lab network to accelerate the goals of sustainable development, which the countries of the South are the main beneficiary of it, he added.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar's commitment to the principle of cooperation and partnership to meet the challenges and to go ahead with the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan, stressing the determination of the State of Qatar to continue its contribution to promoting South-South cooperation, reflecting the political will of our conference today and moving forward with our common efforts, while stressing Qatar's support for the final document of the Conference as an added value in its efforts to promote South-South cooperation and further improve its development effectiveness.

His Excellency also expressed his thanks and appreciation to the people and Government of Argentina for the warm hospitality and high-level organization of the Conference and commended the valuable efforts of the Permanent Delegates of Lithuania and Uganda to the United Nations in leading and facilitating the intergovernmental negotiations leading to the adoption of the final document of the Conference, in which the State of Qatar along with other countries contributed to it.